Art Book Review – Art, Art Everywhere From East Coast to West Coast
Contemporary art is perhaps one of the purest art forms, some say it is what art is, and that all other art is mimicking or an abstraction from contemporary art. The art of any particular era or period is indeed unique all to its own. Often, you can note the place and time of a work of art by its tell tale signs, of course it takes a connoisseur of that period to do it.
Some may not agree but the contemporary art of the late 80s was indeed, some of the best art ever produced. Many will point to artisans of Italy back in the day, and yet there was something about the 80s that brought out a new age of art, that has never been seen. Perhaps to best illustrate this observation and to see for yourself, perhaps even become lost in the art of that past period, I would like to recommend a very good art book to you:
“ARTCOAST – Contemporary Art West and East” by Robert D. Cruthers, edited by Kay Larson; Art West Publishers, Santa Monica, CA; 1989. ISBN: 1042-8178.
This book has art from Asia and America, some from Europe too, and it is a mix of all that was available. The Japanese art is finely depicted and the American artists a style all their own. There is something different about the 1980s that allowed artists to create with this style, a style that seemed to become global. Although the art in the book makes it rather obvious which country the art came from, you can see similarities, which is all too intriguing. Of course, you’ll have to buy this great art book to understand.
The Art of Possibility – A Book Review
The book starts by challenging old paradigms, and then gives us an alternative that is so full of hope and possibility I was eager to try it out in my own life. The chapters build upon each other in a commonsense way. The progression left me wanting more, to the point that when I was done reading the book I wanted to start reading it again. The Zanders took me on a wonderful journey of new possibilities in their book The Art of Possibility. The stories they tell to illustrate their points I found most helpful to see how to apply each and every practice in a real way. They took the concepts and brought reality to them.
1) It was empowering for me to be reminded in the very first chapter that our constructs of reality are all invented. And if that is the case than we are at choice to recreate our own reality! Isn’t that exciting to consider.
2) Chapter 2 builds from there by introducing us to the Universe of Possibility. The stories here helped me get some ideas on how I could bring more possibility to those I work with.
3) I loved the chapter on giving people an “A.” I thought I was pretty good at that but was able to see how my own selfish motives were masked in manipulation to get what I wanted by appreciating and acknowledging others, instead of giving them a genuine “A” from the start and from where they were at.
4) The Being a Contribution chapter gave me one of the most valuable gifts form the book and that was to come from being a contribution instead of worrying about my success. The paradox being that when we are being a contribution everyone wins.
5) Leading from any chair showed me that position doesn’t matter. Anyone can be a leader who inspires.
6) Loved Rule # 6 which reminds me not to take myself too seriously. I had started practicing this one before I started reading this book and oh what a relief it is.
7) In chapter 7 I was reminded of something I seem to need being reminded of often and that is to simply accept things as they are. I translate that to mean detaching. That alone has helped me relax and enjoy life more.
Giving Way to Passion is such a wonderful way to give people permission to contribute without any judgments or make wrongs.
9) Lighting a Spark shows how we can inspire action and creative expression and contribution.
10) Being the Board is all about being 100 % responsible for hwo things are going.
11) Creating Frameworks for Possibility show us how to put this into practice in the real world that we live in so that it makes a difference.
12) And finally by coming from a “we” partnership we can bridge all divisions and unite all people as one. I saw the real possibility for world peace from this one.
All in all there is much work to be done in practicing their many suggestions. I could use a lifetime to do so and it will be time well spent, how about you?
Art Book Review – Claude Lorrain
Sketches and drawings of the 1600s come alive in Claude Lorrain’s works, as he drew from his studio in Rome. He obviously had a love for the countryside, God, and history. Many put his sketches and drawings up against the great painters and artisans of his day. I’d be one of those folks who tends to agree.
If you do not know much about this period, or this artist, and you care very much for art history, then I surely hope you will join me in considering owning a copy of a book that has all his work depicted. The book I am going to recommend to you is:
“The Claude Lorrain Album – in the Norton Simon, Inc. Art Museum” by Marcel Roethlisberger; Los Angeles Museum of Art Publishing 1971. ISBN: 0-87587-045-7.
This art photography book has over sixty drawings by Claude Gellee, who is known to the world as Claude Lorrain born in 1600 in Lorrain. He later went to Rome in his young adulthood, where he made his mark. His drawings were well ahead of his time and are loved by art historians to this day. Many of his drawing capture the essence of the time, while others are somewhat abstract, pictorials of religious significant or historical accounts.
It is my hope that you will purchase a copy of this art book, and read through it and become amazed at the drawings and then display it in your living room, available for friends and company to become acquainted with this great work. Please consider this.